Vehicle security and monitoring system

ABSTRACT

A vehicle monitoring system includes a communication subsystem configured to provide two-way wireless communication, and a controller mounted in a vehicle and configured to receive data indicative of a location of the vehicle and to control the communication subsystem to transmit the data indicative of the vehicle location toward a remote communication center and receive operational information transmitted from the remote communication center. The controller receives a mode change command included in the operational information and in response changes operating mode between an authorization mode, in which the controller transmits an alert signal to the remote communication center, and a tracking mode, in which the controller transmits the data indicative of vehicle location continuously at predetermined intervals regardless of the authorization signal.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/392,942 filed on Feb. 25, 2009, issued Feb. 14, 2012 as U.S. Pat. No.8,115,656 and entitled “VEHICLE SECURITY AND RECOVERY SYSTEM”, whichclaims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/031,072filed on Feb. 25, 2008 and entitled “VEHICLE SECURITY AND RECOVERYSYSTEM”. The disclosures of these patent applications are herebyincorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

This disclosure relates in general to vehicle security systems and, butnot by way of limitation, to vehicle security systems for theftdetection and vehicle location awareness and monitoring.

Many types of vehicle anti-theft devices having various features andcombinations of features are available. One early type of vehicleanti-theft system includes a noise and light alarm that is triggered byvibration or tampering of the vehicle without a key in the lock orignition switch of the vehicle. While this type of system is effective,perhaps, against casual thieves, it can be circumvented and does notprevent unauthorized movement of a vehicle.

Another type of anti-theft system is oriented toward theft recovery of avehicle after it has been stolen. Equipment hidden in the vehicletransmits a signal upon a theft event and usually the signal can bereceived to locate the vehicle. Such systems are typically not designedto identify unexpected but authorized movement of a vehicle. Otherdrawbacks include limitations with respect to the accurate location ofunauthorized movement. Also, the consumer who owns the vehicle mustdiscover that the vehicle is missing and must notify law enforcementauthorities before action is taken.

Finally, there exist various types of GPS (Global Positioning System)locating devices that may be used in vehicles. These products allow fortracking of fleet vehicles, for instance, in the nature of location,speed, vehicle service situations, etc. A GPS locating system can beuseful, but there are limitations with respect to vehicle theft andrecovery applications. Vehicle recovery systems would be useful if theyprovide improved theft detection and vehicle location awareness andmonitoring so as to identify unauthorized movement and assist inrecovery.

Accordingly, there is a need to overcome the foregoing limitations anddrawbacks and provide an effective vehicle security and location system.

SUMMARY

A vehicle monitoring system includes a communication subsystemconfigured to provide two-way wireless communication, and a controllermounted in a vehicle and configured to receive data indicative of alocation of the vehicle and to control the communication subsystem totransmit the data indicative of the vehicle location toward a remotecommunication center and receive operational information transmittedfrom the remote communication center. The controller receives a modechange command included in the operational information and in responsechanges operating mode between an authorization mode in which thecontroller transmits an alert signal to the remote communication center,the alert signal comprising the data indicative of the vehicle locationand data indicating that the vehicle location change is unauthorized, inresponse to determining that vehicle location has changed withoutdetecting an authorization signal within a predetermined time intervalafter determining that the vehicle location has changed, and a trackingmode, in which the controller transmits the data indicative of vehiclelocation at predetermined intervals regardless of detecting theauthorization signal.

In one embodiment, a vehicle security system includes a communicationsubsystem configured to provide two-way wireless communication, and acontroller mounted in a vehicle and configured to receive dataindicative of a location of the vehicle and to control the communicationsubsystem to transmit the data indicative of the vehicle location towarda communication center and receive operational information transmittedfrom the communication center, wherein the controller receives a modechange command included in the operational information and in responsechanges operating mode between an authorization mode in which thecontroller transmits an alert signal to the remote communication center,the alert signal comprising the data indicative of the vehicle locationand data indicating that the vehicle location change is unauthorized, inresponse to determining thaluet vehicle location has changed withoutdetecting an authorization signal within a predetermined time intervalafter determining that the vehicle location has changed, and a trackingmode, in which the controller transmits the data indicative of vehiclelocation continuously at predetermined intervals regardless of theauthorization signal.

The capabilities of the present system include immediate notificationupon the unauthorized movement of the vehicle. This notificationincludes the positive, specific location of the vehicle that allows forreal-time action to recover the vehicle if it is determined to be anunauthorized movement. Other capabilities include low cost as comparedwith other tracking/recovery systems that require more specializedequipment on board a vehicle and then to also track the vehicle.

Further areas of applicability of the present disclosure will becomeapparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It shouldbe understood that the detailed description and specific examples, whileindicating various embodiments, are intended for purposes ofillustration only and are not intended to necessarily limit the scope ofthe disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure is described in conjunction with the appendedfigures:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a vehicle security and monitoringsystem;

FIG. 2 shows a functional block diagram of a vehicle monitoring systemused in the vehicle security and monitoring system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a computer system that may incorporateembodiments of the disclosure for performing the operations describedherein, including operations of the communication center and clientsystem of the vehicle security and monitoring system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of an embodiment of a process for associatingthe FIG. 1 vehicle monitoring system with a vehicle.

FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of an embodiment of a process for operating thevehicle security and monitoring system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of an embodiment of a process for operating thevehicle security and monitoring system of FIG. 1 in a delivery mode;

FIG. 7 shows a flowchart of an embodiment of a process for operating thevehicle security and monitoring system of FIG. 1 in a tracking mode;

FIG. 8 shows a flowchart of an embodiment of a process for operating thevehicle security and monitoring system of FIG. 1 in an authorizationmode; and

FIG. 9 shows a flowchart of an embodiment of a process for operating thevehicle security and monitoring system of FIG. 1 in a custody mode.

FIGS. 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D and 10E show user interface screens formanaging the operational settings of a vehicle monitoring system.

In the appended figures, similar components and/or features may have thesame reference label. Further, various components of the same type maybe distinguished by following the reference label by a dash and a secondlabel that distinguishes among the similar components. If only the firstreference label is used in the specification, the description isapplicable to any one of the similar components having the same firstreference label irrespective of the second reference label.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure is directed to a system that is installed in avehicle for identifying and reporting unauthorized movement of thevehicle concurrently with providing a positive location of the vehicle.

In one embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 1, the present disclosuredescribes components that provide an effective vehicle security andmonitoring system. The system includes a position location subsystem(e.g., a GPS receiver, a cellular telephone based system, and the like)that is mountable within a vehicle and that provides signals atpredetermined time intervals that identify the location of the vehicle.The system further includes a portable key device (e.g., a key fob, or asmart card, or a token, or a wireless telephone, or the like) includingan active radio identification key also referred to as “ARIK”, having aspecific security serialized electronic transmitter device. An on-boardprocessor or microcontroller mounted within the vehicle identifiesmovement of the vehicle, determines the presence of the portable keydevice, and makes a telephone call via existing GSM or othercommunication systems. Finally, a central communication center receivesthe call from the vehicle processor. Additionally, there may be acoordinated Internet Website to exchange information and makeinformation available to law enforcement personnel and/or clients of theWebsite.

Referring to FIG. 1, a vehicle security and monitoring system 100includes a monitoring system 105 mounted in a vehicle 110. Themonitoring system 105 is powered by the vehicle battery, but anadditional power backup source can be connected to the monitoring system105 in the event that the car battery is not available or fails. Themonitoring system is preferably mounted so that its function is notapparent, and typically the monitoring system 105 will be hidden in thevehicle 110.

The monitoring system 105 includes an antenna 115 used to communicatewith a portable key device 120 and a wireless network 125. The antenna115 is shown as an external antenna in this example, but it can beinternal to the monitoring system 105 and/or the vehicle 110. Theantenna 115 can be a dual mode antenna configured to communicate withthe portable key device 120 and to communicate with a communicationcenter 130 via the wireless network 125. That is, the wireless networkfacilitates communication between the monitoring system 105 and thecommunication center 130 for sending data between the two.

The portable key device 120 in this example is a key fob that has anelectronic identification component. In one example, this key fobcomponent is an RFID unit referred to as an active radio identificationkey or “ARIK.” Therefore, the key fob is a useful identifier of anauthorized user of the vehicle—whether the authorized user is a driveror a passenger—because it can be detected by the monitoring system 105.As described further below, the portable key device 120 is used as anauthorization device, in that the presence of the portable key deviceduring vehicle operation is an indication that the operation isauthorized. The portable key device 120 can also be a smart card, apersonal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless telephone, a token, orother wireless device. The portable key device 120 can be powered by aninternal battery and/or powered by an RF signal received from thevehicle 110 or the monitoring system 105.

The wireless network 125 is illustrated having a single tower, but FIG.1 is only an illustration and the wireless network 125 can include manybase stations, mobile switching centers, backhaul wireline networks, andother infrastructure. The wireless network 125 can utilize one or morecellular standards such as Global System for Mobile Communications(GSM), code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multipleaccess (TDMA), WiFi (IEEE Standard 802.11x), Bluetooth or other personalarea network (IEEE 802.15), WiMax (IEEE Standard 802.16), or otherwireless technologies. Data can be communicated over the wirelessnetwork 125 using text messaging, short messaging service (SMS), in-bandsignaling (e.g., DTMF), wireless applications protocol (WAP), or otherforms of data transfer known to those skilled in the art.

The communication center 130 receives information indicative of thelocation of the monitoring system 105 (and therefore of the vehicle 110)via the wireless network 125. In addition, the communication center 130transmits configuration data to the monitoring system 105 via thewireless network 125. The configuration data is used to activateoperating modes of the monitoring system 105. In the illustratedembodiment of FIG. 1, the operating modes include a delivery mode, atracking mode, an authorization mode, and a custody mode. Details ofthese operating modes are described below in connection with FIGS. 6, 7,8, and 9. A greater or lesser number of operating modes can be provided.

A client system 140 communicates with the communication center 130 via acommunications network 135. The communications network can include oneor more wired or wireless networks or combinations of the two, such as,for example, the Internet. The communication over the communicationsnetwork 135 can include Internet protocols such as TCP/IP and e-mail(e.g. SMTP, POP mail, and the like). However, other forms ofcommunication can be used over the communications network forcommunication between the client system 140 and the communication center130, including, for example, voice communication (e.g., voice-over-IP(VoIP), plain old telephone services (POTS), text messaging (e.g., SMS)and other forms of communication). The client system 140 can be operatedby one or more authorized users who are authorized to remotely configureand utilize the operating modes of the monitoring system 105 andotherwise gain remote access to the monitoring system from the clientsystem. For example, the authorized user of the client system 140 mightbe an owner of the vehicle 110, or might be a car dealer that owns thevehicle prior to its sale or that has custody of the vehicle forservicing, or the end user might be an authorized representative of afleet owner of the vehicle, such as a representative of a rental carcompany or freight delivery service.

The client system 140 can communicate with the communication center 130over the network 135 by means of a network communication portal providedby the communication center 130. That is, the client system 140 canestablish a communication session with the network 135, such as gainingaccess to the Internet, to view information produced by or supported bythe communication center 130 on the network. The communication centercan provide the information as a Website or portal of the network 135that includes one or more user interface screens provided to the clientsystem 140 such that the Website information can be viewed on a displayof the client system. For example, the Website information can becommunicated to the client system via a Web browser application.

The user interface screens provided by the communication center 130 canbe used by the authorized user of the client system 140 to configure themonitoring system 105 to operate in the various operating modes,including a delivery mode, a tracking mode, an authorization mode, and acustody mode. As described further below, in the tracking mode, themonitoring system 105 automatically provides its location to thecommunication center 130. An authorized user at the client system 140can view the information at the network Web portal and therefore checkon the location of the vehicle. In the authorization mode, themonitoring system 105 will initiate an alert indication to thecommunication center 130 if the vehicle 110 is moved without the systemdetecting the presence of the portable key device 120. In the custodymode, the monitoring system automatically reports its location atregular intervals to a custodian comprising an authorized user. Otherparameters may also be set, making the custody mode useful forperforming inventory control and monitoring. In the delivery mode, themonitoring system 105 does not initiate an alert indication unless thevehicle is moved a predetermined distance from a starting location, suchas a dealer lot. The delivery mode is useful for operation of thevehicle before it has been delivered to an authorized user, such as avehicle purchaser. The delivery mode is terminated when the portable keydevice 120 is paired with the monitoring system 105, such that themonitoring system automatically detects the presence (or absence) of theportable key device, and identifies movement of the vehicle 110 withoutthe identification portable key device 120 being in the vicinity of themonitoring system 105 as an unauthorized movement, whereupon the systemgenerates an alert indication.

Referring to FIG. 2, an embodiment of a vehicle monitoring system 105includes a processor 205, a memory 210, a controller 215, a userinterface 220, a communication subsystem 225 coupled to the antenna 115and a position location subsystem 230. The processor 205 includes one ormore processors such as application specific integrated circuits(ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processingdevices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmablegate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, micro-controllers,microprocessors, other electronic units designed to perform thefunctions described herein, and/or a combination thereof. The memory 210includes one or more storage mediums. A storage medium can include oneor more components in which data can be stored, including componentssuch as read only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magneticRAM, core memory, magnetic disk storage mediums, optical storagemediums, flash memory devices, and/or other machine readable mediums forstoring information.

The controller 215 is coupled to the user interface 220 to receive inputcommands from the user interface 220 and/or to control the userinterface to output display signals (e.g., visible signals such aslights and/or audible signals such as a beep or a buzz). The userinterface can include a keypad or panel switches through which a usercan provide input. The user interface can include a presentationcomponent such as one or more display devices or indicator lights oraudible mechanisms such as loudspeakers. The controller 215 is alsocoupled to the communication subsystem 225 and configured to control thecommunication subsystem to transmit and receive signals via the antenna115, the wireless network 120, and to and from the portable key device120.

The position location subsystem 230 of the monitoring system 105determines the geographic location of the system and thereby determinesthe location of the vehicle. The position location subsystem can includevarious satellite positioning systems (SPS), such as the United StatesGlobal Positioning System (GPS), the Russian Glonass system, theEuropean Galileo system, or any system that uses satellites from acombination of satellite systems to determine location in terms oflatitude and longitude coordinates. The position location subsystem 230can include a cellular telephone based trilateration system fordetermining location. Another suitable form of position location for thesystem 230 is known as “SKYHOOK”, developed by Skyhook Wireless, Inc.,and uses a database of known WiFi MAC (medium access control) addressesand determines location based on access point MAC addresses visible to aWiFi receiver of the system.

The position location subsystem 230 can be operated to determine thelocation of the monitoring system 105, and hence the vehicle 110, at apredetermined time interval. For example, the position locationsubsystem can check its current position at intervals of one or moreseconds, or at intervals of up to an hourly or daily basis. In order tobe an effective identifier of current vehicle location, it is typicallysufficient for the position location subsystem to check its location atintervals of about 30 seconds and up to five minutes. The locationinformation in latitude and longitude coordinates is stored and comparedto previously stored location information to determine if the vehiclecoordinates have changed and therefore the vehicle has been moved. Uponthe detection of movement of the vehicle, the periodic monitoring of thelocation of the vehicle can be modified so that the location is checkedmore often, for example, every several seconds or more frequently. Ifdesired, the predetermined time interval of location determination canbe adjusted according to operating mode or user input. The user inputcan be received from the portable key device or input can be receivedfrom the client system 140 via the communication center 130.

The communication subsystem 225 is configured to transmit a signal tothe portable key device 120 and to receive an authorization signal fromthe portable key device in response to vehicle movement being detected.The communication subsystem 225 is also configured to communicate viathe wireless network 125 utilizing one or more cellular standards suchas Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), code division multipleaccess (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), WiFi (IEEE802.11x), Bluetooth or other personal area network (IEEE 802.15), WiMax(IEEE 802.16), or other wireless technologies. Data can be communicatedover the wireless network 125 (FIG. 1) using text messaging, shortmessaging service (SMS), in-band signaling (e.g., DTMF), wirelessapplications protocol (WAP), or other forms of data transfer.

The position location subsystem 230 can be contained in the same housingas the other subsystems and/or modules of the monitoring subsystem, asin this example, or it can be contained in a separate housing such as avehicle mounted navigation system or cellular/satellite telephonesystem. Thus, the position location subsystem can be integrated withother vehicle position determining systems or can receive informationfrom such systems.

The processor 205 of the monitoring system 105 further includes adetector component such that the processor is able to electronicallydetect the presence, or absence thereof, of the portable key device 120.In the case of an ARIK, the processor will include an active radioidentifier or “ARI.” The processor 205 is also connected to the positionlocation subsystem 230 and records the periodic location signalsreceived from the position location subsystem 230. The processor 205 maybe contained within the same housing as the position location subsystem230, or the processor may be remotely located from the position locationsubsystem. Locating the processor remotely in a separate housinggenerally provides improved security for the system 105. In addition torecording the location of the vehicle and storing that location, andfurther in addition to detecting the presence of the key fob, theprocessor 205 is further configured to control the communicationsubsystem 225 to transmit and receive information through the antenna115 for communication over the wireless network 125 (FIG. 1).

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a computer system 300 that may incorporateembodiments in accordance with the disclosure for performing theoperations described herein, including operations of the communicationcenter 130 and the client system 140. That is, a system having theconstruction illustrated in FIG. 3 is suitable for performing theoperations of the communication center 130 and client system 140illustrated in FIG. 1. Variations from the illustrated construction thatare still capable of performing the described functions are alsosuitable and will be known to those skilled in the art. In the FIG. 3illustrated embodiment, the computer system 300 includes one or moreprocessors 305, a system bus 310, storage subsystem 315 that includesmemory subsystem 320 and file storage subsystem 325, user interfaceoutput devices 330, user interface input devices 335, a communicationssubsystem 340, and the like.

In various embodiments, the computer system 300 typically includesconventional computer components such as the one or more processors 305,and memory storage devices such as a read only memory (ROM) 345 andrandom access memory (RAM) 350 in the memory subsystem 320, and diskdrives in the file storage subsystem 325.

In the illustrated embodiment, the user interface output devices 330 cancomprise a variety of devices including computer displays, viewingscreens, indicator lights, loudspeakers, tactile output, and the like.The user interface input devices 335 can comprise a variety of devicesincluding a computer mouse, a trackball, a track pad, a joystick,wireless remote, drawing tablet, voice command system, eye trackingsystem, a bar code reader and the like. The user interface input devices335 typically allow a user to select objects, icons, text and the likethat appear on the user interface output devices 330 via a command suchas a click of a button or the like.

Embodiments of the communication subsystem 340 typically include anEthernet card, a modem (telephone, satellite, cable, ISDN),(asynchronous) digital subscriber line (DSL) unit, FireWire interface,USB interface, and the like. For example, the communications subsystem340 may be coupled to the communications network 135 or the wirelessnetwork 125 of FIG. 1 and other systems 355, to a FireWire bus, or thelike. In other embodiments, the communications subsystem 340 can bephysically integrated on the motherboard of computer system 300, may bea software program, such as soft DSL, or the like.

The RAM 350 and the file storage subsystem 325 are examples of tangiblemedia configured to store data such as vehicle identification numbers(VIN), monitoring system identification numbers, current operating modesof monitoring systems, including executable computer code, humanreadable code, or the like. Other types of tangible media include floppydisks, removable hard disks, optical storage media such as CD-ROMS, DVDsand bar codes, semiconductor memories such as flash memories,read-only-memories (ROMS), battery-backed volatile memories, networkedstorage devices, and the like.

In the illustrated embodiment, the computer system 300 may also includesoftware that enables communications over a network (e.g., thecommunications network 135 and/or the wireless network 125 of FIG. 1)such as the DNS, TCP/IP, UDP/IP, and HTTP/HTTPS protocols, and the like.In alternative embodiments of the present invention, othercommunications software and transfer protocols may also be used, forexample IPX, or the like.

It will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art thatmany other hardware and software configurations are suitable for usewith the present invention. For example, the computer system 300 may bea desktop, portable, rack-mounted, smart phone, PDA, or tabletconfiguration. Additionally, the computer system 300 may be a series ofnetworked computers. Further, the use of other microprocessors arecontemplated, such as Pentium™ and “Core 2 Duo” microprocessors fromIntel Corporation; Opteron™ and AthlonXP™ microprocessors from AdvancedMicro Devices, Inc; and the like. Further, other types of operatingsystems are contemplated, such as Windows®, WindowsXP®, Windows Vista®,or the like from Microsoft Corporation, “Solaris” from Sun Microsystems,LINUX, UNIX, and the like. In still other embodiments, the techniquesdescribed above may be implemented upon a chip or an auxiliaryprocessing board (e.g., a programmable logic device or graphicsprocessor unit).

Referring to FIG. 4, a process for associating the vehicle monitoringsystem 105 with the vehicle 110 includes the process boxes shown. Theprocess 400 is exemplary only and not limiting. The process 400 may bemodified, e.g., by adding, removing and/or rearranging the operationsshown. The process 400 may be performed once the monitoring system 105is installed in the vehicle 110. The process 400 starts at box 402,where monitoring system identification information and vehicleidentification information are obtained from the monitoring system 105and the vehicle 110, respectively. The monitoring system identificationinformation can include a monitoring system ID number and/or a wirelessnetwork identification number such as the IMSI of a SIM card. Themonitoring system identification information obtained at box 402 can beobtained by scanning (e.g., using a barcode scanner or some other readerdevice) one or more barcodes on the monitoring system 105 and/orcommunication subsystem hardware, by manually entering the data into aprocessing device, or by retrieving the identification electronicallyvia wireless or wireline communications with the system hardware.

The vehicle identification information obtained at box 402 can includeone or more of a VIN or a stock number used to track information relatedto the vehicle. The VIN number and/or the stock number can be obtainedby scanning a barcode on the vehicle, or by manually entering the datainto a processing device. The VIN number can be obtained from the VINplate of the vehicle (e.g., a VIN plate visible through the windshield),or from a barcode decal located in the driver side door of mostvehicles.

At box 404, the monitoring system 105 is installed in the vehicle 110.The monitoring system 105 can be installed at the point of delivery ofthe vehicle 110, e.g., at a car dealership, car rental agency or anyother location of installation. The installation at box 404 can alsotake place at the point of manufacture of the vehicle. The monitoringsystem 105 can be located in the vehicle 110 such that it is difficultto see and/or remove the system after installation.

At box 406, the monitoring system identification information and thevehicle identification information obtained at box 402 are communicatedto the communication center 130. In some embodiments, the monitoringsystem identification information and the vehicle identificationinformation are also stored in the monitoring system 105. The monitoringsystem 105 can then communicate the information via the wireless network125. The information obtained at box 402 can be communicated to themonitoring system 105 by the scanner or other reader device via awireless or wired input port of the monitoring system 105. In otherembodiments, the monitoring system identification information and thevehicle identification information can be communicated to thecommunication center 130 by the barcode scanner or reader device thatobtained the information at box 402. In yet other embodiments, themonitoring system identification information and the vehicleidentification information can be communicated to the communicationcenter 130 by the client system 140 via the communication network 135.

In addition to communicating the monitoring system identificationinformation and the vehicle identification information at box 406, otherinformation related to the vehicle 110 and/or the custodian or owner ofthe vehicle 110 can also be communicated to the communication center130. This other information may include client identificationinformation (e.g., an identity of the custodian or the purchaser),client contact information, additional vehicle information regardingvehicle appearance and/or additional equipment installed in the vehicle,etc.

Referring to FIG. 5, a process for operating the vehicle security andmonitoring system 105 of FIG. 1 includes the process boxes shown. Theprocess 500 is exemplary only and not limiting. The process 500 may bemodified, e.g., by adding, removing and/or rearranging the operationsshown. The process 500 starts at box 502, where the monitoring system105 is in one or more operating modes. The operating modes include, butare not limited to, the delivery mode, the tracking mode, theauthorization mode, and the custodian mode. Details of the functionsperformed by the monitoring system 105, the communication center 130,and the client system 140 in each of these operating modes are discussedfurther below in reference to FIGS. 6, 7, 8, and 9.

At box 504, the communication center 130, the client device 140, oranother remote device (e.g., the portable key device 120) initiatescommunication of operational information including a mode change commandto the monitoring system 105. The mode change command can includeactivation of an operating mode that is currently inactive, deactivationof a current operating mode, and/or modification of operating parametersof operating modes.

For example, if the monitoring system 105 is operating in the deliverymode, where it reports its location periodically without regard todetecting the presence of the portable key device 120, the mode changecommand could be a command that activates the authorization mode. Forexample, the authorization mode activation command can be initiated whenthe portable key device 120 is brought into the vicinity of themonitoring system 105 such that the monitoring system automaticallydetects its presence, or such that pressing a button or switch of a userinterface of the portable key device transmits a signal to themonitoring system. Thus, the portable key device can initiate a modechange. Alternatively, an authorized operator at the client system 140,e.g., the vehicle owner or an automobile dealer representative or fleetowner representative, could initiate the mode activation command byusing the client system 140 to transmit a mode change command to thecommunication center 130, which would then transmit the mode changecommand to the monitoring system 105 to change operating mode. Othertechniques for initiating the mode change command at box 504 can beused.

At box 506, the monitoring system 105 receives the mode change commandfrom the communication center 130, the portable key device 120, or fromanother remote device. The controller 215 of the monitoring system 105controls the communication subsystem 230 to receive the mode changecommand via the wireless network 125 or from the portable key device120. Upon receiving the mode change command, the process 500 continuesto box 508, where the controller 215 controls the subsystems of themonitoring system 105 to operate in the new mode (or to discontinueoperating in a current operating mode when the mode change commandcancels a current operating mode). The monitoring system 105 can operatein more than one operating mode simultaneously. The monitoring systemwill resolve any operational conflicts, such as interval of determininglocation, to bias in favor or greater security or accuracy. For example,in the case of two modes operating simultaneously and having differentposition locating time intervals, the system 105 will locate itsposition according to the shorter time interval.

At box 510, the monitoring system 105 reports periodic updates oflocations and/or alert indications for unauthorized movement, dependingon its current operating mode(s). The location and/or alert updates aretransmitted via the wireless network 125 to the communication center130. Details of the information that is transmitted to the communicationcenter and when it is reported are discussed below in reference to FIGS.6-9.

At box 512, the communication center forwards information regardingvehicle location updates and/or alerts of unauthorized vehicle movementto authorized users of the client system(s) 140. The authorized usersare authenticated by means of password, login, or other securityprocedures so as to be authorized to receive such location updates andalerts. For example, authorized users can include owners of the vehicle110 who have registered with the communication center 130, custodians ofthe vehicle 110 (e.g., car dealers, rental car managers, fleetoperators, and the like) or law enforcement authorities or other personswho have registered with the communication center or are otherwise knownto be authorized.

Examples of signaling that occurs between the monitoring system 105, thecommunication center 130, and the client system 140 will now bediscussed for the various operating modes. The flowcharts shown in FIGS.6-9 illustrate different processes being performed simultaneously on themonitoring system 105, the communication center 130, and one or moreclient systems 140. The vertical arrows indicate transitions betweenvarious stages in a process being performed on one single device (e.g.,the monitoring system 105). The horizontal arrows between the verticalprocesses of two devices indicate signaling of information between thetwo devices. The signaling between the monitoring system 105 and thecommunication center 130, for example, takes place over the wirelessnetwork 125 using text messages, SMS, in-band signaling, WAP, or otherwireless communications protocols. The signaling between thecommunication center 130 and the client device(s) 140 takes place viathe communications network 135 and can include TCP/IP, e-mail, voice(e.g., VoIP and/or POTS), or other communications methods.

Referring to FIG. 6, a process 600 for performing the delivery operatingmode includes the operations shown in the flowchart. The process 600 isexemplary only and not limiting. The process 600 may be modified, e.g.,by adding, removing and/or rearranging the stages shown. In oneembodiment, the delivery mode is a default mode that the monitoringsystem 105 performs when it is first delivered or installed in a vehicleand no other operating modes have yet been activated. The process 600starts at box 602, where the controller 215 of the monitoring system 105receives data indicative of the location of the vehicle from theposition location subsystem 230. The position location subsystem 230 canbe part of a navigation system of the vehicle 110, a system based ontrilateration of signals between the communication subsystem 225 andbase stations of the wireless network 125, a SKYHOOK-like service usinga database of known WiFi access point locations, or can comprise theposition location subsystem 230 (e.g., a GPS receiver) contained in themonitoring system 105. The data received at box 602 can be raw GPSsignals requiring computation by the processor 205, or can be actuallatitude, longitude, and altitude coordinate parameters received from anexternal source such as a navigation system or network-based positionlocation information from the wireless network 125.

Upon receiving the data indicative of the location of the vehicle 110 atbox 602, the delivery operational process 600 continues at box 604,where the controller 215 determines if the vehicle 110 has moved adistance larger than a set distance threshold. The set distancethreshold could be set to about two miles, for example, if the vehicle110 is located at a car dealership and is routinely taken on short testdrives. In such a situation, it is not desired to initiate an alertindication if the vehicle is driven a relatively short distance from thedealership. The distance threshold could also be set shorter or longerthan two miles, depending on the embodiment and operating locale. If thecontroller 215 determines that the vehicle location has not moved beyondthe threshold distance, a negative outcome at box 604, then theoperational process 600 continues back to box 602, where the next dataindicative of the location of the vehicle is received. The boxes 602 and604 can be repeated periodically, for example, every one minute, everytwo minutes, every 5 minutes or other time periods according to dealeroperations.

If the controller 215 determines, at box 604, that the vehicle has movedbeyond the set threshold distance, an affirmative outcome at the box604, then the delivery process 600 continues to box 606, an operationwhere the controller 215 controls the communications subsystem 225 totransmit the data indicative of the location to the communication center130 via the wireless network 125. The transmission of the data to thecommunication center is indicated by the lateral arrow from box 606 tobox 608. The location data also includes an alert identificationinformation associated with the monitoring system 105. The location datacan also include an indication of the distance that the vehicle hastraveled and the rate at which the location is changing. Thecommunication center responds to the received alert indication andlocation information by contacting a registered recipient, such as thedealer or fleet owner, according to contact information maintained bythe communication center and typically received at the time ofregistration. The contact information may comprise, for example,telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, SMS numbers, and the like. Contactwith the registered recipient may comprise automatic messaging or voicecommunications by a communication center representative.

At box 608, with further reference to the computer system 300 of FIG. 3,the processor 305 associated with the communication center 130 controlsthe communications subsystem 340 to receive the data indicative of thelocation of the vehicle from the monitoring system 105 via the wirelessnetwork 125. The data indicative of the location can be encrypted. Atbox 610, the processor 305 responds to the received data and controlsthe communications subsystem 340 to transmit a location alert signalwith the data indicative of the location of the vehicle to the clientsystem 140 via the communications network 135. The transmission of thelocation alert signal and data is indicated by the horizontal arrow frombox 610 to box 612. In the delivery operational mode of FIG. 6, theclient system is typically a system located at a car dealer or rentalcar representative to which the vehicle 110 has been delivered (i.e.,prior to activation of the monitoring system 105).

At box 612, the client system 140 receives the alert indication signalincluding the location data. The alert signal also includes informationidentifying the vehicle 110 (such as VIN) and/or the monitoring system105 (such as serial number of the system) with which the alert signal isassociated. Upon receiving the alert signal and the location data at box612, the process 600 continues to box 614, where the location dataand/or an alert signal (e.g., a message received or a warning buzzersounding or a warning light flashing) are displayed at the client system140. In some embodiments, the alert display operation 614 includesshowing a map with the location of the vehicle on a display of thesystem 140. In other embodiments, a text message or a voice message canbe displayed or played at the system 140.

The monitoring system 105 can continue to transmit updated locations tothe communication center 130 at box 606 on a periodic basis (regularintervals of time) and the communication center 130 can continue totransmit the alert signal and location data, at box 608, until thevehicle is returned to within the threshold distance. In one embodiment,a cancel signal from the communication center 130, or from the clientsystem 140, is communicated to the monitoring system 105 to end theperiodic transmitting of location at box 606 and cancel the alertoperation.

The rate at which the updated location is transmitted at boxes 606 and610 can be configured by the client system 140 or by the communicationcenter 130 by sending a mode change command signal to the monitoringsystem 105 (see discussion of mode change commands in reference to FIGS.7-9). The rate of periodic updates of location at boxes 606 and 610 candepend on the speed of the vehicle 110 (as determined by the rate ofchange of location), or the update rate can be based on the time ittakes the vehicle 110 to move a predetermined distance. That is, thefaster the vehicle 110 moves, the quicker the location is updated fromeither or both of the monitoring system to the communication center andfrom the communication center to the client system. Thus, locationupdate can be adaptive and made conditional on the rate of positionchange. This adaptive location update provides for more robust trackingand allows for better “last known position” information of the vehiclelocation in the event that the signal from the monitoring system 105 islost (such as could occur if the vehicle 110 is moved to a parkinggarage or other location which blocks the position location signal).

Referring to FIG. 7, a process 700 for performing the tracking mode ofoperation includes the boxes shown in the flowchart. The process 700 isexemplary only and not limiting. The process 700 may be modified, e.g.,by adding, removing and/or rearranging the boxes shown. The trackingmode is a mode in which the monitoring system 105 periodically transmitsits location to the communication center 130, regardless of its locationand/or any alert signals. The tracking mode provides a way for acustodian, an owner or other person authorized to configure themonitoring system 105 to be aware of the location of the vehicle 110.

The process 700 starts at box 702, where the monitoring system 105 isoperating in one or more operating modes. The operating modes performedat box 702 can include any of the operating modes, including thedelivery mode, the authorization mode, the custody mode, and/or analready-active tracking mode. The monitoring system 105 continues toperform the current operating mode(s) at box 702 until the client system140, at box 704, transmits a tracking mode request message to thecommunication center 130. Transmission of the tracking mode requestmessage from the client system to the communication system is indicatedby the horizontal arrow from box 704 to box 706. The tracking moderequest message includes information identifying the vehicle 110 (e.g.VIN) and/or the monitoring system 105 (e.g. serial number). In someembodiments, the authorized user operating the client system 140performs an authentication routine (e.g., entering a user name andpassword) in order to be authenticated as authorized to track thevehicle 110 and/or the monitoring system 105.

Sending the tracking mode request message 704 can request canceling theoperating mode currently being performed by the monitoring system 105 orcan allow the current operating mode to continue to be performedconcurrently with the tracking mode. In addition, the tracking moderequest message can reconfigure one or more operating parameters of acurrent tracking mode being performed by the monitoring system 105 atbox 702. For example, the tracking mode request message could increaseor decrease a periodic rate at which the monitoring system 105 transmitsupdated location information to the communication center 130 duringtracking. In this way, an authorized user, including a user other thanthe authorized user who initiated the tracking mode, may adjust thetracking mode operating parameters.

At box 706, the communication center 130 receives the tracking moderequest message via the communications network 135. Typically, anoperator of the client system 140 must be authorized before being ableto send any messages to the communication center 130. Alternatively,upon receiving the message, the communication center verifies that theclient system operator is authorized to do so (using one or moreauthorization methods). The tracking mode request message can beencrypted. In one embodiment, a form of public key infrastructure(PKI-based) encryption can be used to encrypt the tracking mode commandmessage and verify authenticity of the sending user.

Upon the communication center 130 receiving the tracking mode requestmessage at box 706, the process 700 continues at box 708, where thecommunication center transmits, via the wireless network 125, a modechange command containing information to cause the monitoring system 105to activate the tracking mode or reconfigure tracking mode operatingparameters. Transmission of the mode change command message from thecommunication center to the monitoring system is indicated by thehorizontal arrow from box 708 to box 710. The tracking mode changecommand message can include other operational parameters beingcommunicated to the monitoring system 105.

At box 710, the monitoring system 105 receives the tracking mode changecommand message via the wireless network 125 (using the communicationsubsystem 225). Upon receiving the tracking mode change command message,the monitoring system 105 periodically receives data indicative of thelocation of the vehicle 110 at box 712 and periodically transmits thelocation data to the communication center 130 at box 714 according totracking mode operating parameters. The update interval at which thelocation data is transmitted at box 714 can be determined based onoperating parameters received in the mode change command at box 710 (oras modified by future mode change commands), based on the rate of changeof location of the vehicle 110, or based on the vehicle 110 traveling aminimum threshold distance.

At box 716, the communication center 130 receives the data indicative ofthe location of the vehicle 110 via the wireless network 125. This datais then transmitted by the communication center 130 to the client system140 via the communications network 135 at box 718, as indicated by thehorizontal arrow from box 718 to box 720.

At box 720, the client system 140 receives the data indicative of thelocation of the vehicle 110 via the communications network 135. Thisdata is then displayed at the client system 140 at box 722. The locationdata displayed at box 722 can be presented as text, audio, graphical(e.g., a map), or any combination thereof.

The boxes of process 700 continue to process more tracking mode requestmessages sent by the client at boxes 704-710, and to continue updatingthe vehicle location data at boxes 712-720.

Referring to FIG. 8, a process 800 for performing the authorization modeincludes the boxes shown in the flowchart. The process 800 is exemplaryonly and not limiting. The process 800 may be modified, e.g., by adding,removing and/or rearranging the boxes shown. The authorization mode is amode in which the monitoring system 105 determines if the vehicle 110moves beyond a threshold distance, and the determines if anauthorization signal is received from the portable key device 120 or ifthe presence of the portable key device is otherwise detected. If thepresence of the portable key device is not detected, the monitoringsystem 105 transmits an alert indication to the communication center 130informing of the unauthorized movement of the vehicle 110.

The process 800 starts at box 802, where the monitoring system 105 isoperating in one or more other operating modes. The operating modesperformed at box 802 can include any of the operating modes includingthe delivery mode, the tracking mode, the custody mode, and/or analready-active authorization mode. The monitoring system 105 continuesto perform the current operating mode(s) at box 802 until the clientsystem 140, at box 804, transmits an authorization mode request messageto the communication center 140. The authorization mode request messageincludes information identifying the vehicle 110 (e.g. VIN) and/or themonitoring system 105 (e.g. serial number). In some embodiments, theperson operating the client system 140 performs an authenticationroutine (e.g., entering a user name and password) in order to prove thatthe end user is authorized to track the vehicle 110 and/or themonitoring system 105.

The authorization mode request message can request canceling theoperating mode currently being performed by the monitoring system 105 orto allow the current mode to continue to be performed concurrently withthe authorization mode. For example, if the monitoring system 105 isoperating in the delivery mode, the authorization mode request messagecould request that the delivery mode be canceled. Alternatively, themonitoring system 105 could be configured to automatically cancel one ormore current operating modes in response to receiving a mode changecommand activating a new mode. In addition, the authorization moderequest message can reconfigure one or more operating parameters of acurrent authorization mode being performed by the monitoring system 105at box 602. For example, the authorization mode request message couldincrease or decrease a periodic rate at which the monitoring system 105transmits updated location information to the communication center 130.

At box 806, the communication center 130 receives the authorization moderequest message via the communications network 135. The communicationcenter 130 verifies that the end user that sent the authorization moderequest message is authorized to do so (using one or more authorizationmethods). The authorization mode request message could be encrypted. Inone embodiment, a form of public key infrastructure (PKI) basedencryption can be used to encrypt the authorization mode request messageand verify authenticity of the end user.

Upon the communication center 130 receiving the authorization moderequest message at box 806, the process 800 continues at box 808, wherethe communication center 130 transmits, via the wireless network 125, amode change command containing information to cause the monitoringsystem 105 to activate (or reconfigure operating parameters) theauthorization mode. The authorization mode change command can beincluded with other operational parameters being communicated to themonitoring system 105.

At box 810, the monitoring system 105 receives the authorization modechange command via the wireless network 125 (using the communicationsubsystem 225). If the authorization mode change command is an initialmode change command, where the monitoring system 105 has not yet beenpaired with the portable key device 120, the process continues at box812. At box 812, the monitoring system 105 and one or more portable keydevices 120 are paired by the monitoring system 105 receiving andstoring information indicative of an authorization signal received fromthe one or more portable key devices 120. Subsequent to being pairedwith the portable key device(s) 120, the monitoring system 105 willattempt to receive the authorization signal from the portable keydevice(s) and compare the received authorization signal to the storedauthorization signal to verify authorized or unauthorized movement ofthe vehicle 110.

In one embodiment, the pairing functions of box 812 are initiatedautomatically by the monitoring system 105 in response to receiving theauthorization mode change command at box 810. In another embodiment, notshown in FIG. 8, the monitoring system 105 receives an initializationsignal from the portable device 120, and the monitoring system 105transmits information to the communication center 130, the informationidentifying one or more of the vehicle 110 or the monitoring system 105(e.g., using a monitoring system identifier and/or a wireless networkidentifier such as an International Mobile Subscriber Identity or IMSIstored on a subscriber identity module or SIM card). The communicationcenter 130 then transmits an the authorization mode change command tothe monitoring system 105 via the wireless network 125 at box 808.

Upon receiving the authorization mode change command message, andreceiving the authorization signal at box 812 in the case of first timeinitialization of the authorization mode, the monitoring system 105periodically receives data indicative of the location of the vehicle 110at box 814. The update interval at which the location data is receivedat box 814 can be determined based on operating parameters received inthe mode change command at box 810 (or as modified by future mode changecommands), based on the rate of change of location of the vehicle 110,or based on the vehicle 110 traveling a minimum threshold distance.

Using currently received and past received location data that is storedin the memory 210 of the monitoring system 105, the controller 215determines at box 816 if the vehicle 110 has moved. In one embodiment,the controller determines that the vehicle 110 has moved if thedifference between the most recently received location and a storelocation is greater than a distance threshold value. The distancethreshold value can be larger than an accuracy of the position locationsystem from which the location data is received. The stored value can bean average of two or more previously received values which can improvethe accuracy. The distance threshold can be in a range from about 5 feetto about 100 feet, depending on the accuracy of the location data.

If the controller 215 determines that the vehicle has not moved, anegative outcome at box 816, the process 800 returns to box 814 toreceive more periodic location data updates. If, at box 816, thecontroller 215 determines that the vehicle 110 has moved (e.g., morethan the minimum distance threshold), an affirmative outcome at box 816,the process 800 continues to box 818 where the controller 215 controlsthe communications subsystem 225 to check the authorization signal fromthe portable key device 120 and determine if the received signal matchesthe stored authorization signal. If, at box 818, the controller 215determines that the received authorization matches the storedauthorization signal, an affirmative outcome at box 818, the processreturns to box 814.

If, at box 818, the controller 215 determines that the receivedauthorization signal does not match the stored signal or if noauthorization signal was received within a predetermined time intervalafter determining that the vehicle location has changed, a negativeoutcome at box 818, the process 800 continues to box 820, where thecontroller 215 controls the communication subsystem 225 to transmit analert signal and data indicative of the location of the vehicle to thecommunication center 130. The alert signal can include data identifyingthe vehicle 110, the monitoring system 105 and/or the SIM card (e.g.,the IMSI) used by the communication subsystem 225.

The monitoring system 105 continues to periodically receive dataindicative of the location of the vehicle 110 at box 814 andperiodically transmits updated location data to the communication center130 at box 820. The interval at which the updated location data istransmitted at box 820 can be determined based on operating parametersreceived in the mode change command at box 810 (or as modified by futuremode change commands), based on the rate of change of location of thevehicle 110, or based on the vehicle 110 traveling a minimum thresholddistance. This periodic updating of location data can be terminated uponthe monitoring system 105 receiving a mode change command that cancelsthe alert mode. This could be in response to an authorized personsending a cancellation request to the communication center 130. Thiscould be in response to finding the vehicle and or reporting that theportable key device 120 is not present, but the authorized person knowsthat the vehicle 110 is not currently being moved in an unauthorizedway.

At box 822, the communication center 130 receives the alert signal andthe data indicative of the location of the vehicle 110 via the wirelessnetwork 125. This data is then transmitted by the communication center130 to the client system 140 via the communications network 135 at box824. The alert signal could be sent to multiple client systems or otherdevices associated with the client. For example, the alert signal sentat box 824 could be sent by email, cellular telephone, home telephone,business telephone, and text message (e.g., SMS).

At box 826, the client system 140 receives the data indicative of thelocation of the vehicle 110 via the communications network 135. Thisdata is then displayed at the client system 140 at box 828. The locationdata displayed at box 622 can be textual, audio, graphical (e.g., a map)or any combination thereof.

In addition to sending the alert signal and location data to the clientdevice 140 at box 824, the communication center 130 can send theinformation regarding the alert signal to a law enforcement agency viathe communications network 135. The alert information sent to the lawenforcement agency could include information identifying one or more ofthe vehicle 110, the owner, the custodian, and the current location ofthe vehicle 110. In one embodiment, an Internet address (e.g., a URL)and associated password information are sent to the law enforcementagency, where the Website of the communication center 130 displays thelocation of the vehicle 110 in real-time as updated location informationis received at box 822. In this way, the law enforcement agency canaccurately track the vehicle 110 and recover the stolen vehicle.

The boxes of process 800 continue to process more authorization moderequest messages (e.g., cancellation of the authorization mode orupdating of operating parameters) sent by the client system 140 at boxes804-812, and to continue monitoring for unauthorized movement of thevehicle and reporting alert signals and location data at boxes 814-828.

Referring to FIG. 9, a process 900 for performing the signaling of thecustody mode includes the boxes shown in the flowchart. The process 900is exemplary only and not limiting. The process 900 may be modified,e.g., by adding, removing and/or rearranging the boxes shown. Thecustody mode is a mode in which the monitoring system 105 determines ifthe vehicle 110 moves beyond a threshold distance, and also reportsperiodically to a custodian of the vehicle, the location of the vehicle.The custody mode is useful when the vehicle will be in the custody of acaretaker other than the vehicle owner, or in a typical fleet situationin which many vehicles have a common owner and multiple operators. Inthis way a car dealer or a rental car agent can determine if a vehicle110 is within a permitted area (e.g., within two miles of a cardealership, within the boundaries of a car dealership, within apermitted travel area, etc.) and be alerted when the vehicle goes beyondthe permitted area. In addition, the location information is receivedperiodically (e.g., nightly) regardless of the location in order tobetter track inventory at the custodian's business.

The process 900 starts at box 902, where the monitoring system 105 isoperating in one or more other operating modes. The operating modesperformed at box 702 can include any of the operating modes includingthe delivery mode, the tracking mode, the authorization mode, and/or acurrently-active custody mode. In one embodiment, the operating system105 is operating in the delivery mode when the vehicle 110 is firstdelivered to a car dealer, a car rental agency or some other custodian'splace of business.

At box 904, the client system 140 of the custodian obtains monitoringsystem identification information from the monitoring system 105. Thismonitoring system identification information can include a monitoringsystem ID number and/or a wireless network identification number such asthe IMSI of a SIM card. The identification information obtained at box904 can be obtained by scanning one or more barcodes on the monitoringsystem 105 and/or communication subsystem hardware, by manually enteringthe data into the client system, or by retrieving the identificationelectronically via wireless or wireline communications with thehardware.

At box 906, the client system 140 of the custodian obtains vehicleidentification information. The vehicle identification information caninclude one or more of a VIN or a stock number that the custodian usedto track information related to the vehicle. The VIN number and/or thestock can be obtained by scanning a barcode on the vehicle, or bymanually entering the data into the client system 140 of the custodian.

Upon obtaining the identification information at the boxes 904 and 906,the process 900 continues at box 908, where the client system 140 of thecustodian stores the identification information associated withmonitoring system 105 and the vehicle identification in a database. Theinformation is stored such that the monitoring system identificationinformation is linked to the vehicle identification information (e.g., arelational database).

At box 910, the client system 140 transmits a custody mode requestmessage to the communication center 130. The custody mode requestmessage includes information identifying the vehicle 110 and/or themonitoring system 105. In some embodiments, the person operating theclient system 140 performs an authentication routine (e.g., entering auser name and password) in order to authenticate the user as one who isauthorized to track the vehicle 110 and/or the monitoring system 105.

At box 912, the communication center 130 receives the custody moderequest message via the communications network 135. The communicationcenter 130 verifies that the custodian user that sent the custody moderequest message is authorized to do so (using one or more authorizationmethods). The authorization mode request message could be encrypted. Inone embodiment, a form of public key infrastructure (PKI) basedencryption can be used to encrypt the authorization mode request messageand verify authenticity of the end user.

Upon the communication center 130 receiving the custody mode requestmessage at box 912, the process 900 continues at box 914, where thecommunication center 130 transmits, via the wireless network 125, a modechange command containing information to cause the monitoring system 105to activate (or reconfigure operating parameters) the custody mode. Thecustody mode change command can be included with other operationalparameters being communicated to the monitoring system 105.

The monitoring system 105 continues to perform the current operatingmode(s) at box 902 until at box 916, the monitoring system 105 receivesthe custody mode change command via the wireless network 125 (using thecommunication subsystem 225). Upon receiving the custody mode changecommand, the monitoring system 105 periodically receives data indicativeof the location of the vehicle 110 at box 918. The update interval atwhich the location data is received at box 918 can be determined basedon operating parameters received in the mode change command at box 916(or as modified by future mode change commands), based on the rate ofchange of location of the vehicle 110, or based on the vehicle 110traveling a minimum threshold distance.

In one embodiment, upon receiving the custody mode change command at box916, the monitoring system 105 automatically disables the authorizationmode if the authorization mode was being performed at box 902. In thisway, the owner of the vehicle 110 can drop off the vehicle 110 at thedealership (or a repair shop that is the custodian) and not leave theportable key device 120 and risk triggering an alert due to theauthorization mode.

Using currently received and past received location data that is storedin the memory 210 of the monitoring system 105, the controller 215determines at box 920 if the vehicle 110 has moved. In one embodiment,the controller determines that the vehicle 110 has moved if thedifference between the most recently received location and a storelocation is greater than a distance threshold value. The distancethreshold value used for the custody mode can be on the order of aboutone or two miles in order to allow for test drives during a repair. Thedistance threshold can be based on a geographic border (also known as ageo-fence) stored in the monitoring system 105.

Also at box 920, the monitoring system 105 determines if a periodic timeperiod has elapsed. This time period can be associated with an inventoryfunction of the custodian. The periodic time can be daily, twice daily,every other day, etc. If, at box 920, the monitoring system 105determines that neither the vehicle has moved nor has the periodic timeperiod passed, the process 900 continues at box 918.

If, at box 920, the monitoring system 105 determines that either thevehicle 110 has moved, or the periodic time period has passed, theprocess 900 continues to box 922 where the monitoring system 105transmits data indicative of the location of the vehicle 110 to thecommunication center 130 via the wireless network 125. If the vehiclehas moved beyond the threshold distance, the monitoring system 105 alsotransmits an alert signal with the data indicative of the location ofthe vehicle. If the location data is being transmitted due to a periodictime expiration, an alert is not sent.

At box 924, the communication center 130, receives the data indicativeof the location of the vehicle 110 and/or the alert signal the via thewireless network 125. This data is then transmitted by the communicationcenter 130 to the client system 140 via the communications network 135at box 926. The alert signal could be sent to multiple client systems orother devices associated with the client. For example, the location dataand/or alert signal sent at box 926 could be sent by email, cellulartelephone, home telephone, business telephone, and text message (e.g.,SMS)

At box 928, the client system 140 receives the data indicative of thelocation of the vehicle 110 via the communications network 135. Thisdata is then displayed at the client system 140 at box 930. The locationdata displayed at box 930 can be textual, audio, graphical (e.g., a map)or any combination thereof.

In one embodiment, the client system 140 includes location informationindicative of a virtual fence or “geo-fence” defining a fixed geographicpermitted area. The geo-fence information can be stored in the memory ofthe client system 140. For example, the geo-fence can define an areaaround a dealership or service center or return facility. Alternatively,or additionally, the geo-fence information can be stored in a databaseof the communication center 130. The client system 140 can comparelocations of the vehicle received from the communication center with thestored geo-fence information and determine that the end user that thevehicle has moved beyond the geo-fence defined area. The system can thengenerate an alarm indication signal. Alternatively, the communicationcenter 130 can determine that the vehicle has moved into the geo-fencearea.

The boxes of process 700 continue to process more custody mode requestmessages (e.g., cancellation of the custody mode or updating ofoperating parameters) sent by the client system 140 at boxes 904-916,and to continue monitoring for movement of the vehicle, expiration ofperiodic time periods and reporting alert signals and/or location dataat boxes 918-930.

The process 700 provides an automated way for custodians to receiveperiodic updates on locations of large inventories of vehicles. Thisautomated inventory of vehicles can eliminate the need for timeconsuming manual scanning of vehicle identification tags and updating ofinventory databases each time a vehicle enters a designated space orlot.

In one embodiment, the custody mode is activated automatically inresponse to the monitoring system 105 arriving at a location of acertified custodian. The automatic activation of custody mode can betriggered by the monitoring system 105 comparing a current location to adatabase of locations of certified custodians. The database of certifiedcustodian locations can comprise, for example, virtual fences orgeo-fences as described above. Alternatively, a special beacon orwaypoint could be located at the certified custodian location and themonitoring system 105 could receive an identification signal from thebeacon that contains information identifying the certified custodian.Upon determining that the monitoring system 105 has entered the vicinityof a certified custodian, the monitoring system 105 transmitsinformation identifying the identity of the certified custodian and/orthe location of the certified custodian to the communication center 130via the wireless network 125. Alternatively or additionally, the beaconor waypoint can trigger the system to report its geographic position tothe communication center in response to detecting the identificationsignal.

Upon receiving the position information, the communication center 130determines the identity of the certified custodian (e.g., using eitherthe location and/or the custodian identification information receivedfrom the monitoring system 105). The communication center 130 contactsthe client system 140 associated with the certified custodian andtransmits data indicative of pertinent information regarding the ownerand/or the vehicle that has entered the certified custodian area. Thepertinent information can include owner name, car make and model,customer number, etc. In this way, the certified custodian is informedimmediately that a customer has entered the area and the custodian canprovide fast and efficient service to the customer.

FIGS. 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D and 10E show user interface screens formanaging the operational settings of the vehicle monitoring system 105.The user interface screens are examples of screens that can becommunicated from the communication center 130 to the client system 140via the communications network 135. Referring to FIG. 10A, a display1000 displays a login user interface screen 1002. The login screen 1002can be a first screen that an end user of the client system 140 seeswhen trying to access the website of the communication center 130.

The login screen 1002 includes a login tab 1004 that allows navigationto the login screen 1002 from other screens such as a delivery modescreen 1008 illustrated in FIG. 10B. The login screen 1002 displays atext entry box 1022 for the end user to enter a username and a textentry box 1024 for the end user to enter a password. The end userselects a submit key 1026 to communicate the username and passwordinformation to the communication center 130.

Referring to FIG. 10B, the display 1000 is shown with the delivery modescreen 1008. The delivery mode screen 1008 could be a default displaywindow that is displayed the first time the end user logs in to thewebsite. Alternatively, the delivery mode screen 1008 could be selectedwith a delivery mode tab 1006. The delivery mode screen 1008 can displaya location map 1028 showing the latest location of vehicles associatedwith the end user (e.g., those vehicles that the end user is authorizedto monitor). The location map 1028 could display the time and date thatthe location information was obtained from the monitoring system(s).

Text entry boxes 1030, 1032 and 1034 allow the end user to specify whichvehicle(s) or monitoring system(s) are being displayed on the locationmap 1028. Text entry box 1030 accepts monitoring system identificationnumbers. Text entry box 1032 accepts vehicle identification numbers(e.g., VIN, stock numbers, etc.). Text entry box 1034 accepts a groupidentification number that is associated with a predetermined set ofmonitoring systems or vehicles. The groups can be input by the end user.

A change mode button 1036 allows the end user to change the mode of themonitoring system(s). Selecting the change mode button could bring up amenu of options such as, change settings of current mode, cancel currentmode, activate new mode (e.g., tracking, authorization or custody), etc.

Referring to FIG. 10C, the display 1000 is shown with a tracking modescreen 1012. The tracking mode screen 1012 could be a default displaywindow that is displayed when the end user logs in if the tracking modeis active. Alternatively, the tracking mode screen 1012 could beselected with a tracking mode tab 1010. The tracking mode screen 1010can display the location map 1028 showing the latest location ofvehicles associated with the end user (e.g., those vehicles that the enduser is authorized to monitor). The location map 1028 could display thetime and date that the location information was obtained from themonitoring system(s). Other parts of the tracking mode screen functionsimilarly to those portions in the delivery mode screen 1008.

Referring to FIG. 10D, the display 1000 is shown with an authorizationmode screen 1016. The authorization mode screen 1016 could be a defaultdisplay window that is displayed when the end user logs in if theauthorization mode is active. Alternatively, the authorization modescreen 1016 could be selected with an authorization mode tab 1012. Theauthorization mode screen 1016 can display the location map 1028 showingthe latest location of vehicles associated with the end user (e.g.,those vehicles that the end user is authorized to monitor). The locationmap 1028 could display the time and date that the location informationwas obtained from the monitoring system(s). An alert cancel button 1038can be selected by the end user to cancel a current alert that wastriggered by the monitoring system 105 in order to cancel a false alertsituation. Other parts of the tracking mode screen function similarly tothose portions in the other screens 1008 and 1012.

Referring to FIG. 10E, the display 1000 is shown with a custody modescreen 1020. The custody mode screen 1020 could be a default displaywindow that is displayed when the end user logs in if the custody modeis active. Alternatively, the custody mode screen 1020 could be selectedwith a custody mode tab 1018. The custody mode screen 1020 can displaythe location map 1028 showing the latest location of vehicles associatedwith the end user (e.g., those vehicles that the end user is authorizedto monitor). The location map 1028 could display the time and date thatthe location information was obtained from the monitoring system(s).Other parts of the tracking mode screen function similarly to thoseportions in the other screens 1008, 1012 and 1016.

It should be noted that access to the communication center 130 by theclient system 140 or by other authorized entities (such as a cardealership or rental car agency or other custodian) can be conditionedon payment of access fees to the entity providing the communicationcenter and interface (i.e., Web site). Thus, the functionality describedherein and the Web interface illustrated in FIGS. 10A-10E can beprovided only for those persons who have paid a subscription to theservices or purchased a monitor system 105. That is, authorization tothe information produced by the communication center 130 may be limitedsubscribers or purchasers and may be denied to all others. In this way,income for maintaining the communication center is assured.

In some embodiments, the portable key device 120 is programmable by acar dealer or by a monitoring system dealer or installer. It should beprogrammable so that the dealer can maintain an inventory of “blank”portable key devices 120. These blank portable key devices 120 can thenbe activated to operate in the authorization mode with the specificmonitoring system 105 that is mounted in a vehicle at the time of sale.It would alternatively be possible to maintain previously matched keyfob and detector systems. In some embodiments, a dealer will have one ormore master key fobs to use with the systems before the associatedvehicles are delivered to owners or purchasers.

In some embodiments, the monitoring system 105 is prohibited fromperforming multiple operating modes simultaneously. In otherembodiments, some operating modes can be performed simultaneously, whileother operating modes are prohibited from being performedsimultaneously. The selection will depend on system resources and usagepreferences for the system.

In some embodiments, a custodian has different levels of access toinformation about the monitoring system 105 and/or different levels ofcapability to control the monitoring system 105, depending on thecurrent operating mode of the monitoring system 105. For example, priorto the authorization mode of the monitoring system 105 being activated,the custodian may have full access to the information about the locationof the monitoring system 105 and full capability to reconfigure theoperating modes and parameters of the monitoring system 105. Subsequentto activation of the authorization mode (e.g., upon sale of thevehicle), the custodian may have no or limited access to obtain thelocation of the vehicle or the change the operating mode of themonitoring system 105. In one embodiment, the custodian may be givenmore access to location information only if the vehicle is located nearthe location of the custodian's place of business.

In some embodiments, the custody mode is not cancellable. For example, arental car company may want to have the ability to always know thelocation of the vehicles that have been rented. If desired, the controlover the custody mode being cancellable or not cancellable can be setfrom the communication center 130 and/or set in response to a commandfrom the client system 140.

In some embodiments, the authorized users associated with the monitoringsystem 105 can query for the location of the associated vehicle usingemail, voice or text communication with the communication center. Suchqueries may require that the authorized user be questioned to supplyanswers to predetermined questions that only authorized persons shouldknow (e.g., mother's maiden name, place of birth, etc.).

In some embodiments, the communication center 130 maintains records ofpast unauthorized movement alerts, both real and false alerts, forpeople authorized to drive the vehicle (e.g., possessors of the portablekey device 120). The communication center can use the past alertinformation to predict the likelihood that a new alert is real or false.The prediction is based on, for example, using statistical analysis ofpast real and false alerts for the individual. This information can becommunicated to law enforcement agencies in order to provide anindication to the authorities whether the new alert is likely to be realor a false alarm. If the statistical information indicates a stronglikelihood that the new alert is real, then the authorities can chooseto track the vehicle without confirmation from the owner that thevehicle is missing. If the statistical information indicates a stronglikelihood that the new alert is false, then the authorities can choosenot to track the vehicle without confirmation from the owner that thevehicle is missing. Other techniques of statistical analysis can be usedon the data collected by the communication center 130. For example, thecommunication center can maintain a database of activity for allvehicles that have the system 105. The collective data can be used forstatistical analysis to help determine likelihood of a real theft eventor a false alarm. For another example, the data collected will indicateif the portable key device 120 is kept in the vehicle at all times andnever removed (such as by detecting the presence of the signal from theportable key device even when the vehicle is not operated and moving).Such a usage pattern may be incorporated into statistical analysisperformed on the collected data to determine likelihood that anunauthorized use is really a theft event, or a false alarm.

In some embodiments, the communication center 130 can use dataindicative of traffic patterns to predict a likely course for a vehiclebeing tracked. For example, if a vehicle is approaching a congestedportion of a highway and there are limited exits in the vicinity of thecongestion, then the communication center 130 could determine, usingtraffic analysis applications, that the vehicle is likely to exit thehighway at the exits in the vicinity of the congestion. This predictiveinformation can be provided to the authorities who are tracking thevehicle and to the client system 140.

While the present invention has been described in detail with referenceto the preferred embodiments thereof, it should be understood to thoseskilled in the art that various changes, substitutions and alterationscan be made hereto without departing from the scope of the invention asdefined by the appended claims.

1. A vehicle monitoring system comprising: a communication subsystemconfigured to provide two-way wireless communication; and a controllermounted in a vehicle and configured to receive data indicative of alocation of the vehicle and to control the communication subsystem totransmit the data indicative of the vehicle location toward acommunication center and receive operational information transmittedfrom the communication center; wherein the controller receives a modechange command included in the operational information and in responsechanges operating mode between an authorization mode in which thecontroller transmits alert data to the remote communication center, thealert data comprising the data indicative of the vehicle location anddata indicating that the vehicle location change is unauthorized, inresponse to determining that vehicle location has changed withoutdetecting an authorization signal within a predetermined time intervalafter determining that the vehicle location has changed, and a trackingmode, in which the controller transmits the data indicative of vehiclelocation at predetermined intervals regardless of the authorizationsignal.
 2. The system as in claim 1, wherein the authorization signal isreceived from a portable key device.
 3. The system as in claim 2,wherein the portable key device comprises a wireless telephone.
 4. Thesystem as in claim 2, wherein the authorization signal comprisesidentification data that is wirelessly read from the portable keydevice.
 5. The system as in claim 1, wherein the controller continues totransmit the alert data with updated data indicative of vehicle locationat predetermined intervals after sending the alert signal.
 6. The systemas in claim 5, wherein the controller receives an alert cancel signalfrom the communication center and in response halts sending the alertdata.
 7. The system as in claim 1, wherein the mode change command istransmitted from the communication center in response to a request froman authorized person associated with the vehicle monitoring system. 8.The system as in claim 1, wherein the controller further operates in acustody mode, in which the controller responds to a mode change commandto the custody mode by changing operating mode to the custody mode, suchthat the vehicle identification information is associated withcontroller identification information and the data indicative of vehiclelocation is provided to a custodian by the communication centerregardless of the authorization signal.
 9. The system as in claim 8,wherein the controller transmits the data indicative of vehicle locationto the communication center at a predetermined interval for delivery tothe custodian.
 10. The system as in claim 8, wherein the controllertransmits the alert data to the communication center in response todetermining that vehicle location has changed to a location beyond apredetermined location.
 11. The system as in claim 1, wherein thecontroller further operates in a delivery mode, prior to receiving themode change command, in which the controller transmits the dataindicative of vehicle location continuously at predetermined intervalsin response to determining that vehicle location has changed to alocation beyond a predetermined location.
 12. The system as in claim 11,wherein the controller transmits the data indicative of vehicle locationto the communication center at a predetermined interval for delivery toa custodian.
 13. The system as in claim 11, wherein the controllertransmits the alert data to the communication center in response todetermining that vehicle location has changed to a location beyond thepredetermined location.
 14. The system as in claim 11, wherein thecontroller changes operating mode from the delivery mode to theauthorization mode upon receipt of an activation signal.
 15. The systemas in claim 14, wherein the activation signal is received from aportable key device.
 16. The system as in claim 15, wherein the portablekey device comprises a wireless telephone.
 17. The system as in claim 1,wherein the controller determines that the vehicle has arrived at alocation associated with a certified custodian and transmits informationidentifying an identity of the certified custodian and/or the locationassociated with the certified custodian to the communication center. 18.A method of monitoring a vehicle, the method comprising: receiving dataat a monitoring system mounted in the vehicle, the received dataindicative of a location of the vehicle; transmitting the dataindicative of the vehicle location from the monitoring system toward acommunication center; receiving operational information at themonitoring system, the operational information received from thecommunication center, and including a mode change command; and inresponse to receiving the mode change command, changing operating modeof the monitoring system between an authorization mode and a trackingmode, the authorization mode comprising the monitoring system:determining that vehicle location has changed, and transmitting alertdata for the monitoring system to the communication center, the alertdata comprising the data indicative of the vehicle location and dataindicating that the vehicle location change is unauthorized, in responseto not detecting an authorization signal within a predetermined timeinterval after determining that the vehicle location has changed;wherein the tracking mode comprises transmitting the data indicative ofvehicle location continuously at predetermined intervals regardless ofthe authorization signal.
 19. The method as in claim 18, furthercomprising receiving the authorization signal at the monitoring systemfrom a portable key device.
 20. The system as in claim 19, wherein theportable key device comprises a wireless telephone.
 21. The method as inclaim 19, wherein receiving the authorization signal compriseswirelessly reading identification data from the portable key device. 22.The method as in claim 18, further comprising, in response to receivingthe mode change command: changing operating mode to a custody mode inwhich vehicle identification information is associated with monitoringsystem identification information; and transmitting the data indicativeof vehicle location to the communication center regardless of theauthorization signal, wherein the communication center provides the dataindicative of vehicle location to a custodian.
 23. The method as inclaim 18, further comprising, in response to receiving the mode changecommand: changing operating mode to a delivery mode, in which the dataindicative of vehicle location is transmitted at predetermined intervalsin response to determining that vehicle location has changed to alocation beyond a predetermined location.
 24. The method as in claim 18,further comprising: determining that the vehicle has arrived at alocation associated with a certified custodian; and transmittinginformation identifying an identity of the certified custodian and/orthe location of the certified custodian to the communication center. 25.A communication center computer system for operation with a monitoringsystem, the communication center computer system comprising: acommunication subsystem configured to communicate wirelessly with themonitoring system; a processor coupled to the communication subsystemand a network, the processor configured to receive a first mode changerequest from an end user via the network, the mode change requestrequesting to change the monitoring system between an authorization modeand a tracking mode, control the communication subsystem to receive dataindicative of a location of a vehicle from a monitoring system mountedin the vehicle, wherein the data indicative of vehicle location isreceived continuously at predetermined intervals while the monitoringsystem is operating in the tracking mode, upon receiving the mode changerequest, control the communication subsystem to transmit a mode changecommand to the monitoring system and, subsequent to transmitting themode change command, control the communication subsystem to receivealert data from the monitoring system, the alert data comprising thedata indicative of the vehicle location and data indicating that thevehicle has changed location and the location change is unauthorized.26. The system as in claim 25, wherein the monitoring system is locatedin a vehicle.
 27. The system as in claim 25, wherein the processor isconfigured to communicate data representing user interface screens to acomputer system of the end user via the network.
 28. The system as inclaim 25, wherein the processor controls the communication subsystem toreceive updated data indicative of an updated location of the vehicle atpredetermined intervals subsequent to receiving the alert data.
 29. Thesystem as in claim 27, wherein the processor controls the communicationsubsystem to transmit an alert cancel message to the monitoring system,wherein the monitoring system halts transmission of the updated locationdata in response to the alert cancel message.
 30. The system as in claim25, wherein the processor transmits the data indicative of the vehiclelocation to the end user via the network.
 31. The system as in claim 25,wherein the mode change request requests to change the operating mode ofthe monitoring system to a custody mode in which vehicle identificationinformation is associated with monitoring system identificationinformation of the monitoring system, and is associated with receivingthe data indicative of vehicle location at the communication centerregardless of the authorization signal, wherein the communication centerprovides the data indicative of vehicle location to a custodian.
 32. Thesystem as in claim 25, wherein the processor controls the communicationsubsystem to receive information identifying an identity of a certifiedcustodian and/or a location of the certified custodian from themonitoring system, wherein the monitoring system transmitted theinformation identifying the identity of the certified custodian and/orthe location of the certified custodian upon arriving at the location ofthe certified custodian, and the processor transmits data indicative ofpertinent information regarding an owner of the vehicle and/or thevehicle to the certified custodian.
 33. A system for operating a vehiclemonitoring system, the system comprising: a communication subsystemconfigured to communicate with a communication center via a network; aprocessor coupled to the communication subsystem and the network, theprocessor configured to control the communication subsystem tocommunicate a mode change request to the communication center via thenetwork, the mode change request requesting to change a monitoringsystem between an authorization mode and a tracking mode, control thecommunication subsystem to receive data indicative of a location of avehicle containing the monitoring system from the communication center,wherein the data indicative of vehicle location is received continuouslyat predetermined intervals while the monitoring system is operating inthe tracking mode, and, subsequent to transmitting the mode changerequest, control the communication subsystem to receive alert data fromthe communication center, the alert data comprising the data indicativeof the vehicle location and data indicating that the vehicle has changedlocation and the location change is unauthorized.
 34. The system as inclaim 33, wherein the processor controls the communication subsystem toreceive updated data indicative of the vehicle location at predeterminedintervals from the communication center after receiving the alert data.35. The system as in claim 34, wherein the processor controls thecommunication subsystem to transmit an alert cancel signal to thecommunication center to request that the monitoring system halttransmitting the updated location data.
 36. The system as in claim 33,wherein the mode change request includes a mode change requestrequesting to change the monitoring system to a custody mode in whichvehicle identification information is associated with the monitoringsystem and the processor controls the communication subsystem to receivethe data indicative of vehicle location regardless of whether thelocation change is unauthorized.